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PECO, an electric and natural gas utility serving 1.6 million electric and 480,000 natural gas customers in the southeastern Pennsylvania and Philadelphia area, is now running all of its 580 trucks on biodiesel.

This company press release says the move adds to the 43 hybrid SUVs and seven natural gas powered vehicles the utility is already using. In addition, PECO is getting the biodiesel from a local source:

PECO has contracted with the Energy Cooperative, a local non-profit with members throughout southeastern Pennsylvania, to supply the biodiesel. The vegetable oil is blended with petroleum diesel from Sunoco and delivered to PECO sites. “So we continue to use Sunoco-produced diesel fuel and also help a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the use of environmentally friendly fuels,” Flemming said.

Susan Godwin, PECO’s manager of Environmental Safety and Industrial Hygiene, said the bio-diesel contract is just one of the environmental commitments PECO is keeping. “PECO is committed to becoming a model of green operations, which includes fleet energy efficiency,” Godwin said. “PECO is aggressively reducing GHG emissions while meeting our customers’ energy needs.”

Company officials say using biodiesel will reduce carbon emissions by 16 percent for every gallon of B20 used instead of petroleum diesel.

The second edition of Biodiesel 2020: A Global Market Survey has come out, filled with information on which direction the biodiesel industry is headed.

This story posted on EarthTimes.org says the biodiesel industry is entering four fundamental transitions: moving from edible feedstocks (soy and palm oils) to non-food feedstocks; moving from production in developed countries’ commercial markets to emerging markets in developing nations; moving up to 2nd generation technologies; and moving into government policies favoring sustainable fuels:

“Biodiesel markets world-wide are entering a period of rapid transitional growth, creating both uncertainty and opportunity. First generation biodiesel markets in Europe and the US have reached impressive biodiesel production capacity levels, but remain constrained by feedstock availability. In the BRIC nations of Brazil, India and China, recent government initiatives are spawning hundreds of new opportunities for feedstock development, biodiesel production, and export,” said Biodiesel 2020 author Will Thurmond.

“Biodiesel 2020 observes a fundamental transition in global transport fuels production. In the year 2007, there were only 20 oil producing nations supplying the needs of over 200 nations. By the year 2010, more than 200 nations will become biodiesel producing nations and suppliers,” said Thurmond.

The report concludes with some solid advice for biodiesel producers:

“Transitions in the biodiesel industry will create winners and losers in the near term. The Biodiesel 2020 study concludes biodiesel producers that are best able to adapt to transitions in feedstocks, government policies, markets, and technologies are most likely to succeed over the long term.”

Last fall, Alabama Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks and Montgomery, Alabama Mayor Bobby Bright announced a partnership that would make used cooking grease into biodiesel to be run in the city’s vehicles. This week, they cut the ribbon on the new Center for Alternative Fuels Biodiesel Production facility.

This Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries press release has more details:

“This has truly been a special day for the City of Montgomery in opening our newly built biodiesel facility,” I can not think of a better way to help clean up our environment and fuel our vehicles and farm equipment,” said Commissioner Sparks.

Commissioner Sparks says the facility will also be used for instructional purposes to encourage the state’s farmers to produce a variety of crops that can be turned into biodiesel, including soybeans and canola. Approximately 110 gallons of B100 will be produced every day. Expected cost of the biodiesel should average between 75 cents and 1.00 dollar per gallon.

The team that flew a Czech military jet on 100 percent biodiesel last October (see my post from Oct. 16, 2007) has plans to fly a Learjet around the world on the green fuel.

Four months ago, Douglas Rodante with chief pilot Carol Sugars at the controls and the team from Green Flight International flew a 40-year old Czech Aero L-29 Delfin for 30 minutes above the Nevada desert for a half-an-hour. The jet was made for short flights to stop potential defectors. With that in mind, the folks from Green Flight have decided to fly a Bombadier Learject around the world later this year or early in 2009. This story in the Candian Press has more details:

Bill Lear Jr., the president of Learjet before it was purchased by Bombardier in 1990, and Chris Cordova, a former flight engineer on Air Force One, have signed on as consultants.

“I think it’s necessary that we do this first and foremost for environmental reasons.”

Since the jet flies at high altitude where the temperatures are really cold, Green Flight is planning on using tank heaters and chemicals to keep the fuel liquid and possibly mixing the biodiesel with kerosene. Officials believe emissions could be cut 50 to 80 percent compared to conventional jet fuel.